North Brevard Skywarn Association. It shall be our purpose to provide severe weather observation services to the Melbourne N.W.S. from the North Brevard County area. In doing so the association shall further exchange of information and cooperation between members, promote radio knowledge, and conduct association programs and activities as to advance the general interest and welfare of Amateur Radio in our Community.

Association Membership is free and is extended to everyone who has completed a basic Skywarn Spotters class.

Amateur Radio Station N6USP, is the Official Emergency Station (OES) and the Skywarn Coordinator for the Mims Scottsmoor area, it activates during a severe weather alert issued by the Melbourne N.W.S. to receive spotter reports from the North Brevard County area and is managed by the North Brevard Skywarn Assn. Meetings are semi-annually and will be used for Skywarn training, programs, and activities.

When the OES is activated on the WN3DHI repeater on 145.250 Mhz, PL 107.2 spotter reports are fed to the Melbourne N.W.S. The Skywarn Net Control Station will call WX4MLB with your report to assist meteorologists in evaluating weather conditions so that timely warnings can be issued. Non Amateurs can call the NCS by phone (321) 264-2622.

ABOUT SKYWARN

SKYWARN SPOTTERS RESOURCE PAGE

DEFINITION FOR WATCHES AND WARNINGS

JOIN THE SKYWARN ASSOCIATION

Skywarn Spotters information

The primary function of a SKYWARN Spotter is to report on-going severe weather to the local National Weather Service (NWS) office.  This is usually done through local SKYWARN NETS, or by calling the NWS directly (321)-255-0212

If you have received Skywarn training and interested in participating as a spotter, the North Brevard Skywarn Association is compiling a spotters list. We need your information on how to get in touch with you. This list will include all spotters in the Mims/Titusville warning area and The list will be used to contact you for reports in the event severe weather moves into your area. We also need information from those living in South Volusia County for the Brevard/Volusia County Area.

You may update your information or join by using the online SKYWARN SPOTTERS FORM

Spotters may operate from their home when severe weather is in there vicinity.

Skywarn and Amateur Radio information is available for newcomers who would like to learn more about the Skywarn Spotters training, or becoming an Amateur Radio Operator.

For more information, Please contact the Skywarn Coordinator at (321)-264-2622 or E-Mail Bob at N6USP

SPOTTERS LOCATION MAP

North Brevard Skywarn Association Constitution & By-Laws

Only the following defined severe weather events shall be reported to the National Weather Service.

• HEAVY RAINS 

- greater than 1"/hour.
• DOWNBURST/MICROBURST

- look for a rounded 'mass' suddenly coming down from cloud base, and/or the telltale 'rain' or 'dust-foot' at the ground.
• SIGNIFICANT FLOODING

- in streets, low-lying areas, rivers.
• HAIL

- Dime size is not consider severe (1/2"), Nickel size (3/4"), Quarter size (1"), Half Dollar (1/14"), Golf Ball size (1-1/2"), Base Ball size (2-3/4"), and Grape fruit size (4") Soft Ball size (4-1/2").
• DAMAGING WINDS

- over 38 mph, gale-force or greater.
• WIND RELATED DAMAGE

- Numerous large limbs down. 
- Trees down. 
- Power lines down. 
- Damage to structures, vehicles, etc.
• FUNNEL CLOUDS

- Look for persistent, rapid rotation.
• TORNADOES

- Look for rotation and debris coming up from the surface.
• WATERSPOUTS

- Look for rotation and spray coming up from the waters surface.

AVOID EMBARRASSMENT!

Horses with injuries sustained by scratching upon a barbed-wire fence does not make an injury from Hail. Such as reported, it actually made it to the NWS in the Summer of 1997 and it was repeated in a notionally disseminated Local Storm Report.

But some people have absolutely no clue at all what they are doing when they make that report to the NWS! They call in reports based upon nothing other than assumptions, with absolutely no confirmed basis in fact at all. This can adversely affect the credibility of the rest of us if reports like this were ever to emanate from local spotters consistently. So lets be careful! If the general public cannot be trusted to make a proper judgment of the situation, then let's ourselves, as spotters, try to be the ones who do get it right -  as consistently as possible. This will develop a confidence and trust between ourselves and the NWS

Analyze the situation, Report only what you see, exactly as you see it. Add no more than that. And if you are unsure of something, don't be afraid to say so. But certainly don't withhold any information from the NCS for fear of embarrassment. It would be more embarrassing later if you were to realize that you SHOULD have spoken up about something earlier, now that something is happening and your information could have helped. Lastly, get another spotter to confirm the event, if possible.

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NON-SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS:

The following minor events are to be expected during ANY thunderstorm and are generally considered NOT to be of any danger and therefore of little or useless value to an NCS or the NWS, so these should not be reported. Here, we shall present them in a more light-hearted way that we hope will tend to make them less prone to be forgotten in David Letterman's "TOP TEN STYLE":

• NUTTIN' HAPPENING' HERE 

- This is a good thing, and certainly nothing the NWS needs to know about.
• DARK SKIES; DARK CLOUDS; BOY IT GOT DARK HERE!

- Unless reports are specifically requested by the NCS. Please do not offer them.
• RAIN HERE; LIGHT RAIN HERE; SOME RAIN HERE; JUST A DRIZZLE HERE

- For those not aware of this: thunderstorms usually include rain.
• THUNDER HEARD HERE

- Care to guess why they call them thunderstorms?
• SOME LIGHTING

- Occasional lightning is normal and expected. If the NWS is forecasting thunderstorms, then they are aware that this includes lightning, and so should you be. Don't report it unless it is very frequent, and thus an obvious danger.
• HEAVY LIGHTNING

- Lightning isn't heavy. Lightning can be reported to be frequent, and it can be close; But it is certainly not heavy.
• HAIL LESS THAN 1/4-INCH

- That is BB-sized, is not in your vocabulary.
• RAINS LESS THAN 1 INCH PER HOUR
 
• WINDS BELOW 38 MPH

• SMALL PUDDLES MIGHT MAKE A FOOT WET BUT THEY DO NOT MAKE FOR A FLOOD

- If however while stomping through a puddle, your child happens to completely disappears--then it might be good to call this in.

"SKYWARN SPOTTERS SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES"

Author: Bob Jones, N6USP
Copyright © 2005 [North Brevard Skywarn Association]. All rights reserved.
Revised: December 19, 2008